


Never

by Philliwolf5



Category: Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philliwolf5/pseuds/Philliwolf5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam hadn't planned on becoming a werewolf when he'd taken his Soldiers deep into the jungles of Vietnam. Over the years, he'd learned to use the perks to his advantage, becoming one of the most powerful of his kind. But when Jesse, his precious daughter, approaches him about gaining that power for herself, Adam has but one response.  Canon universe around Night Broken timeline.</p><p>DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Mercy Thompson series or characters. That honor belongs to Patricia Briggs, and I receive no compensation for this work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Question

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for this story a long time ago, even had notes all written down. But I'm involved with other stories, so I waited patiently until I could get the motivation to actually write it. This will be a short story, possibly with two possible endings. I feel so foolish to start yet another story that will require updates, but what the hell? YOLO, right? Riiight. Takes place in a different AU from Lone Wolf (even if it did inspire me), so no preggers Mercy. Please tell me what you think. Thanks!

The day started off as it normally did, Adam and I enjoying each other before rising for the day. It was the weekend, so it took a little longer for us to rise than usual, but that's what weekends are for, right?

Breakfast was a semi-festive event, with a few of our wolves present in addition to Jesse, Adam, and me. They ate heartily before departing to find other diversions, the freeloaders.

Yes, just a normal day.

After a few hours, Jesse and I went out on a shopping trip. We'd planned for this a couple weeks before, wanting to get something nice for her upcoming Homecoming dance. She seemed just as surprised as I was that she was going. Apparently some brave boy had asked her, undaunted by her status as the Alpha werewolf's daughter.

I wished them well. Adam could be intimidating, even when he was trying his best not to.

It was about twenty minutes into our trip when I first got the inkling that something was…off about Jesse. She was quieter than usual, and apparently her usual sassiness had been left back home.

Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be a bit distracted, something that was further demonstrated by her lack of enthusiasm when we passed a store sporting dresses with different themes, like steampunk and gothic.

Jesse was always unique in her choice of hair color and clothing, so I felt like she would have lit up at the sight of them. She didn't however. Her mind seemed a thousand miles away from the looks of it, as she shambled alongside me, graceless as a zombie.

"Jesse?" I finally prompted. "Is everything okay?" When she just looked lost, I finally waved a hand in front of her face, stopping so my body partially blocked her progress. "Jesse?"

She stopped just before she could hit me and blinked as if completely out of it. "Oh…uh, yeah, Mercy. I'm fine."

That brought some alarm. She'd used _fine_ , never a good sign. Something was definitely up. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything."

Jesse gave me a shaky smile. "I know. It's okay, I promise." She looked at me with eyes that begged me to drop it.

I wouldn't press her. If she wanted to talk to me, she would. So I gestured toward the dresses. "Check it out? You like?"

Jesse's eyes followed, and she finally came to life. "These are sweet!" We went in without delay.

Jesse had been on my mind for the rest of the day. What was going on? Was there still trouble with the other kids at school? Maybe her mother had gotten to her. Christy had a way of doing that.

After we'd gotten home, she'd thanked me and had promptly gone to her room. That had been the last I'd seen of Jesse all day. Part of me wanted to speak with Adam about it, but I figured, just as I had with her earlier, that if she wanted to talk to him, she would.

Sometimes, it was best to give a person space and let them come to you. They were a lot more likely to talk if you weren't pushy.

So I busied myself looking through a parts magazine. Maybe I could get some good deals.

Before long, it was dinner time and a lot quieter in the house. As the three of us began eating, a sense of foreboding began to take root in my guts. Something was going on with Jesse, and the unanswered questions in my head were making me increasingly uneasy.

Adam met my gaze with a bewildered expression. Of course his daughter's angst wasn't lost on him. Maybe it was teenage issues. Or stress.

God knows Jesse had dealt with a variety of stressors the last year or so, ranging from seeing her dad and me in harm's way a number of times, to mourning a death of one of our most precious pack members.

Even now we still had things to watch out for, baddies that could hurt any of us. Who could blame her if it all was starting to get to her?

Dinner soon wrapped up, and I got up to load my dishes into the dishwasher. Adam followed suit, pressing up against me and leaning in. "Did I do something?" he asked. Maybe I noticed something he hadn't.

I shook my head. "I don't think so, but with teenagers, who knows?" Adam grunted in response as he too loaded his dishes.

We both turned when we suddenly heard Jesse's hesitant voice. "Daddy, can I talk to you?"

Adam glanced at me and nodded to her. "Of course, baby. Let's go to my office."

I watched two of the people I loved most in the world walk to my husband's office, the door closing gently behind them. Whatever was going on with Jesse, it was serious. I went into the living room and started to look through my magazine again, but I just couldn't concentrate.

Was she…pregnant? If so, maybe I should leave the house. Adam's temper would level it to its foundations. She was his only daughter after all. Maybe she'd gotten into some trouble with…ok, it was obvious I wasn't going to find any parts to buy.

So I went upstairs. Maybe a nice, hot shower would set my mind at ease.

The spray was relaxing, loosening the tension I had built up in my muscles. I was sure Adam would fill me in later and finally let me stop worrying. We didn't keep secrets from each other.

All was well for about five minutes. Soon, it was obvious that things weren't going well. Even over the shower I could hear arguing. It was mostly Jesse, her soft, clear voice suddenly raised in upset.

I needed to be there. I quickly rinsed off and got out. I dried off and dragged on some pants and a t-shirt, running down the stairs barefooted.

I arrived in front of Adam's office just in time to see hear the tail end of the quarrel.

"Daddy, why can't you just listen?"

"There's nothing to listen to, Jesse. The answer is _no_." Adam's tone held finality, as if he were talking to a disobedient wolf. I knew there was no point in arguing when he got like that.

The door was thrown open. Jesse boiled out, tears streaming down her reddened face. "Why can't you understand?!" she cried as she fled the room. Her teary gaze met mine for the slightest moment before she shot past and back up to her room.

It took everything in me not to go to her, but I would talk with her later, when she'd had the chance to process everything and calm down. Hopefully I would know more by then.

Adam was standing behind his desk, his back to me. His unrest was not only visual but tangible, flowing through our mate bond. Could the other wolves feel their Alpha's distress?

I stepped inside his office and shut the door.

"Adam," I called as I moved toward the desk. "I don't know what's going on, but is there anything I can do? Can I help?"

Adam shook his head and raised it. "No, Mercy. You can't." He turned around, and the fear I saw on my mate's face was like nothing I'd ever seen.

"Jesse asked me to Change her. She wants to be a werewolf."


	2. The Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse gets her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, everyone. Thanks for reading!!

Tension.  That’s the word for the day, for every day since Jesse and Adam had their talk.

From the moment I woke up until I went to bed in the evening, there was this thick, impenetrable strain in the air.  Our house had become a tinderbox, and I knew the wrong words out of the right mouth would set off an explosion. 

At dinner I could see it.  The determined, stubborn set to Jesse’s mouth, Adam’s tensed jaw and stiff shoulders.  Father and daughter sorely needed to talk, but neither seemed able or willing to take the first step.  It was getting stifling to me, but I didn’t want to get between them.

Soon, it was too much for even me.  The silence, the veiled hostility and anger…it was all I could do not to scream.  I finished my food fast enough to impress any of our pack and excused myself.  I could feel my mate’s eyes on my back as I exited. 

I didn’t care.  He was acting ridiculous.  So was Jesse.  I would leave them to it.  Placing my dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I went upstairs.  I needed a hot shower.  It would relax my body and hopefully soothe my mind.

Our bedroom was silent as I disrobed, and I didn’t hear anything from downstairs.  Even left alone, the two wouldn’t talk to each other.  I shook my head.  Whatever.

I loved the design of the shower.  The water hit me perfectly, at just the right temperature and pressure.  Soon, I was smiling softly to myself as I felt my muscles relax and grow pliant under the hot spray.  It was wonderful.

Which was why I started when I felt my husband’s hands brush my shoulders.  My heart felt like it had stopped for a moment.  Adam slid them down my arms until they rested on my hips. 

I tried to turn around to face him, but his grip tightened, and he stepped forward, molding my back against his naked body, showing me how aroused he was.  One of his hands flattened against my belly as the other came up to cup my breast.  He placed an open-mouthed kiss along the side of my neck.  I moaned softly.

He didn’t talk.  He just caressed, kissed, and loved me, right there in the large shower.  There was so much weighing on him, on this family, but he needed me.  I could feel it in the grip of his hands, in the intensity of his kisses, the deep thrusts of his hips.  I kept him stable, grounded.

When we finished, when my legs were steady enough for me to stand again, we washed, still saying nothing.  Where his hands had been near bruising moments ago, now they were tender, patient, careful. 

He treated me like porcelain, like I needed to be handled with care.  We both knew what he was capable of, what those hands could do.  Perhaps he needed to do this to ensure himself that, despite the number of times his hands had been covered in blood, he could be gentle and loving.  That he wasn’t a monster.

Maybe Jesse wouldn’t be one either.

We left the shower, and Adam ushered me into bed when I would have dressed in my usual tee and underwear.  Sliding in, he spooned against me, skin to skin.  Of course, it wasn’t long before he was making love to me again, my cries soft against his ears. 

So much for the shower.

After, we lay quietly, my ear against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.  I could tell that he wanted to say something, but I waited.  I knew he would do so when he was ready.  I didn’t have to wait too long.

“I don’t know what to do, Mercy,” he said miserably.  “I don’t want Jesse to hate me, but I don’t want to face the possibility of losing her either.”  His hand squeezed my shoulder, and I felt his lips against my hair.  “I _can’t_ lose her.”

I thought for a moment, considering my words.  “I know you don’t want to risk it, but Jesse’s a smart girl.  I’m sure she thought this over long and hard before she made that decision.”  I sighed.  “She knew you wouldn’t like it.  I could tell the moment I saw her that day.”

I could feel him shake his head against my hair.  “She’s never seen the Change, how it’s done.  It’s savage, bloody, and nearly always fatal.  And she’s a girl, Mercy.  You know they’re even more likely to die than the men.”

“Yes, I know.  But they have also survived too.  Maybe she just needs you to believe in her, that she could do this.  I don’t want to lose her either, Adam.  I was shocked too when you told me.  But we both know the choices.  You lose her now or later.  But maybe you don’t have to lose her at all.”

I felt him stiffen.  “No.  I can’t let her do it.”

“But Adam—“

“No, Mercy.  You’re not a werewolf.  I know you grew up with them, but it’s still not the same.  I laid there that day, seeing my guts open to the heavy, stinking air, thinking I was going to _die_ in that damned jungle before I became wolf.  It was grisly and painful.  I can’t let that happen to her.  I can’t.”

“What about what she wants?”

His jaw stiffened.  “I’m sorry, Mercy.  But she’s _my_ daughter.”

My mouth opened on a silent gasp.  So that’s how it was?  Jesse meant just as much to me as Adam did.  I loved her like she was my own.  How could he shut me out?

Wordlessly, I turned over, moving away from his embrace.  Though he could have stopped me, he let me go.  I had to turn away before he saw how he’d hurt me, before he saw the tears.  No doubt he knew from our bond.  He wasn’t stupid.  Callous sometimes, but not stupid.

He didn’t try to apologize or touch me.  I wondered at that as I drifted off to a restless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up early and quickly slipped out of bed to make breakfast.  I had to make this right, and food would help.  Things were always easier on a full stomach.  We were going to talk today.

I made French toast, biscuits with gravy, eggs, and bacon.  I had the coffee machine going, and the table set when Jesse came down, following her nose.

“Man, Mercy,” she commented when she got a look at all the food.  “You went all out today.”

I shrugged.  “What can I say?  I like to feed my family.”

Jesse gave me a look that said she wasn’t buying it.  “You also tend to cook a lot when you’re stressed.”

“Quiet, you,” I gave her a small smile.  “Eat.”

Jesse sat down just as her father walked in, his eyes on mine.  I held his gaze for a moment before lowering my eyes, turning back to preparing plates.  “Good morning, Adam.”

“Good morning.  Hey, Jesse.”

“Dad.”  Jesse immediately went back to eating.

Well, this would be difficult.  But at least they were on speaking terms…a little bit.

I sat down and ate alongside my family in companionable silence until Adam finally broke it with his smooth, deep voice.

“I’ve been thinking,” he began reluctantly.  “Maybe we can compromise.”

Jesse looked up, knowing exactly to what he was referring.  He met her eyes and continued.

“Finish school,” Adam elaborated.  “And get with each and every one of my wolves as well as me so you can find out just what it’s like to be a werewolf.  You will listen to _all_ our stories, especially the ones about the Change, and learn what that means for you.  When that’s all over, if you still want this life…” 

He sighed heavily.  “I’ll let you try.”

Jesse squealed, jumping up from her seat to run to her dad.  Giving him a hard hug and a big kiss, she smiled down at him.  “That’s all I wanted, Daddy.”  With that, she scampered (yes, scampered), out of the kitchen, totally forgetting about her plate.

Adam watched her go before turning to me with eyes heavy with unspoken words.  I looked away and got to my feet to collect Jesse’s plate and mine.   I wasn’t sure if I was quite ready to forgive him yet, though I knew I would.

I decided to wash the plates by hand.  The dishwasher was getting too full anyway.  Plus, I had to keep my hands busy.  I didn’t want to feel awkward, and the room was getting a little stuffy with my husband who’d hurt me last night staring at me like he was. 

I heard him get up as the water filled the sink.  Heard him walk around the table toward me.  Then I felt his strong arms slide around my waist.  Adam set his cheek against the side of my head, nuzzling me. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said softly.  “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry.  You’ve been more of a mother to Jesse than Christie ever was.  I shouldn’t have said what I said.  I was upset, stressed, and I took it out on you.  I apologize.”

“Hmm,” I muttered in response.

He let out a breath in laughter.  “You’re going to make me suffer, aren’t you?”

I shrugged.  “I guess not.  It was a big deal, so I guess you get a free pass this time.”  I shifted around in his arms, my expression turning serious.  “Don’t shut me out like that again.”

He shook his head.  “I won’t.  I promise.”

“Were you serious about what you said to Jesse?  You’re really going to let her try to Change?”

Adam sighed as he nodded.  “Yes.  If, after all she hears and learns, she still wants to go through with it, I won’t stop her.  But it won’t be me who does it.  I couldn’t bear to do that to my little girl.”  He shook his head.  “I’ll have to inform her mother.  That should be fun.” 

We both cringed.  Christie would not be thrilled about this, and it would be Adam’s fault, as all their problems seemed to be in her eyes.  I certainly couldn’t blame him for his reluctance.  “Who will you let do it?”

“I think I trust either Warren, Bran, or one of the Marroksons to do it.  They’re dominant enough not to lose control during.”  His shoulders sagged a little.  “I can’t lie.  I wish so much she would change her mind, Mercy.”

I hugged him close, my heart hurting for him.  I could totally understand.  “Maybe she will,” I reassured.  Some of the wolves would no doubt have horrible stories of their transformations.  Jesse could very well hear those tales and give up on this whole idea.

I started to suggest Adam speak with Samuel about how if felt to lose a child who died for not being a wolf, but this was not the time. 

“We’ll just have to see,” I told him instead.

He nodded.  “Yeah.”  His arms squeezed me just before he pulled back to look me in the eye, his expression taking on a playful edge. 

“So how ‘bout it?  Up for a shower?”

I giggled.

* * *

 

**The next chapter will be the last, and will be entitled "The Endgame."  Thanks for reading!**


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